Chapter 36

On a normal occasion, walking through the woods on a sunny day would be a perfect start to a day in the life of a Pokémon Trainer. Neither him nor Brock had been this far out in the Kanto region before, so they didn't know what was ahead, or even around for Gyms. So their plan was to search for one until they found one or got wind of where one would be. At least, that was the original plan until they heard a sad whine through the trees not far from the main path.

At first, Ash and Brock exchanged glances, not sure if the other had heard it or not. But when they heard it again, they knew they weren't hearing things. "What do you suppose that is?" Ash asked, and the pair strayed off the path to investigate. What they found made them frown. A small cat-like Pokémon with brown fur and a fluffy cream-colored collar was tied to a post in the base of a hollowed tree. It had a bowl of food and water beside it, but it looked extremely sad, and when its brown eyes looked up at the new arrivals, it cried out sadly to them. "E-wie! Vee!"

"It's been abandoned," Brock deduced, and Ash's head whipped back to his friend.

"What? You mean that someone just left it here alone?" Brock nodded and knelt down to help the Pokémon out. As he did, Ash took out his Pokédex to scan it and see what it was.

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. It has the potential to evolve into one of three Pokémon."

"Wow!" the boy commented in amazement as his eyebrows raised to the point of disappearing under his cap. "Then I want one!"

"You won't be catching this one," Brock stated.

"Why not?"

"Because this one has a collar." The Pokémon Breeder held out the Pokémon he held in his hands, and Ash looked more closely.

"A tag?" he muttered, and read the gold tag that hung from the black collar around the Pokémon's neck. "Hmm, 'Stone Town'."

"Stone Town?" Brock repeated with recognition. "That's the place at the foot of Evolution Mountain!"

"Is it far?"

"No, it's fairly close by," the Pokémon Breeder responded.

"Maybe this Eevee wandered too far from its home, and someone found it and brought it here so that it wouldn't go any farther," Ash thought aloud with his fingers curled around his chin.

"Hmm... maybe..." Brock replied, but he didn't sound too convinced. "Either way, the address is right on the tag, so we'll bring it back to its home." The former Gym Leader untied Eevee and the Pokémon seemed to just be free of the rope, so it curled right up in his arms.

o 0 o

True to Brock's word, Evolution Mountain was just a small ways away from the main path they were taking, and it certainly wasn't hard to get to, as the mountain was fairly large. And right at the foot of it was a small little town with colorful houses greeting them at the entrance. A sign reading that they were indeed in Stone Town met them, and they barely gave it a second glance as they headed down the road, now keeping an eye out for the Eevee's home.

Curious about Eevee's other evolutions, Ash took out his Pokédex and pressed a few buttons to find out more. "Eevee evolves into one of three Pokémon depending on what stone is used on it." The picture was initially on Eevee, but then it flashed over to depict a red Pokémon with fluffy cream-colored fur around its collar, tail and a small tuft on its head. "Using a Fire Stone will yield Flareon, the Flame Pokémon." The next picture it flashed to showed a Pokémon without any fur at all, but a sparkling blue body and a tail and fins on the side of its head that resembled a mermaid's. "A Water Stone yields Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon." The last picture that showed up featured a yellow Pokémon with spiked fur. "A Thunder Stone yields Jolteon, the Lightning Pokémon."

"I wonder which evolution I'd pick..." Ash thought aloud, closing the case to his Pokédex. "I bet having a Jolteon would be really cool. What would you pick, Brock?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Brock said, his eyes looking at the map in his hand while Eevee rested comfortably in his arms. "Besides, this Eevee isn't really ours to keep. Its house should be coming up." They turned the corner, and Brock looked on ahead. "That's it: third block, number 14."

Ash stared in awe at the house that they had stopped in front of. Only, it wasn't exactly a house – it was more like a mansion. It was at least three floors tall, and many windows couldn't even begin to showcase how many rooms were in it. A stone wall taller than Brock ran around it and shielded the huge yard from view from the rest of the town, but it clearly towered over all other houses in the area. "It's gigantic!" the black-haired boy stated, and they both walked in through the opening.

But they didn't even make it to the front door before they found a great amount of people gathered. The guests were all ages, both big and small, and they were all chattering indistinctly amongst each other. And if they thought the house was large, it was nothing compared to the yard. Freshly-trimmed trees, a bubbling fountain that could have been mistaken for a swimming pool had it not been for the centerpiece streaming water, and the massive tables filled with food greeted them, and they marveled at the sight before them. It almost looked like a fairground instead of a front yard from the size of it.

"It's a garden party!" Brock said.

"Looks like fun!" Ash added, and their eyes scanned the area until they fell upon a woman holding a sparkling blue stone in her hand. Beside her, a blue Pokémon with a white belly that had a spiral mark on it stood staring blankly, and as she touched the stone to its slimy skin, the stone began to glow white. Seconds later, the Pokémon's body reacted to it as well, and also began to glow. It was evolving. The Pokémon's form grew larger, and when the glow faded, its arms had developed stronger muscles and it had an intimidating look in its eyes.

"Congratulations! Poliwhirl evolved into Poliwrath," a young man with blond hair that stuck straight up in the air said, and the audience that had gathered clapped while the blue-haired woman smiled down at her new Pokémon.

"Thank you so much." Ash and Brock stared curiously as the Poliwrath hopped over to the fountain and hopped into it, disappearing beneath the water with a splash, and it joined other Water and Grass Pokémon that were enjoying it. But those weren't the only Pokémon that were there. Ash's eyes fell upon an Exeggutor, a tall palm tree-like Pokémon, and then his eyes flashed over to a Raichu. Another girl in the corner caught his eye squealing in delight as she looked down at a fox Pokémon with beautiful flowing cream-colored tails. Both Ash and Brock let out a breath of realization when they came to the same conclusion together.

"They've all been evolved using those stones!" Brock pointed out while the young man who was just a little bit older than Brock approached two others who were wearing similar outfits to him but coordinating their outfits to match their hair. Coincidentally, they also were standing beside the three evolutions of Eevee that Ash had looked up on their way there.

"Good work! Now that we've seen a round of evolutions, how about comparing attacks, eh?" he asked the crowd with his hands on his hips, but as his eyes scanned the area, they fell upon the newcomers, and his smile faltered when he saw the Pokémon in Brock's arms. "Eevee?" The two others who were dressed similar to him looked up at his words, as they were both petting their Pokémon, and all three smiled similarly and hurried over.

"Eevee!" the other two said simultaneously.

"Where did you go to? We were worried about you, Eevee," the young man with the Jolteon spoke to the small brown Pokémon while his blue-haired brother took the Evolution Pokémon from Brock.

"Yeah, thank you for finding Eevee for us," he thanked.

"This is great!" the final brother said to the other two. "We've got our star; now we can go on with the show!" Ash and Brock exchanged looks of confusion. If Eevee was a star, then why was it all tied up and abandoned in the woods?

The brothers all turned their head away from the pair and called out into the crowd. "Mikey! Hey Mikey! Eevee's come back!" Despite that fact that his Pokémon was found, the boy came out from the people all talking and enjoying the party with his feet dragging and a frown on his face.

"Oh..." His unenthusiastic response was the complete opposite of his Eevee's, who leapt out of the blue-haired triplet's hands and ran to the boy excitedly before leaping into his arms and nuzzling into his chest.

"How could you lose him? You've got to be careful!" the redhead of the three warned with a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms over his white tank top.

"You'll lose your Trainer qualification," the brother who held Eevee previously added. As the brothers walked away, Mikey looked down with saddened eyes as the Eevee smiling up and talking excitedly to him, and Ash and Brock approached the younger boy. Instead of thanking them, the boy looked at them with a frown.

"Why did you bring it back?" Ash and Brock were dumbstruck by the little boy's words as he went off to join his brothers with a lowered head as they stood in the middle of the crowd.

"Listen, Mikey!" the eldest of the triplets called. "One day you'll be a Pokémon Trainer, just like us!"

"Do you really think you can win your first battle with an unevolved Eevee?" the blue-haired brother asked.

"All of us won our first battles because we'd evolved our Eevees – there's no other way to win!" the last remaining brother said. "The key to a first victory is evolution!"

"But... I don't care about battles!" Mikey responded, finally lifting his head to look at them. Instantly, all three brothers shot back at him.

"Don't care?!" they yelled angrily, and their Pokémon also joined in and barked angrily.

"They're scary..." Ash murmured, and even he was intimidated and he wasn't the one being yelled at.

"Everyone is waiting to see what you make Eevee evolve into, Mikey," Vaporeon's Trainer told him, and Jolteon's Trainer stepped forward and held out his arms, gesturing to the three Pokémon on either side and behind him.

"You've got three choices; which do you think is the strongest of all the evolved Eevees?"

"We wanna know what you think of our Pokémon!" Flareon's Trainer piped up with a finger in the air. "Mikey, which Pokémon do you want Eevee to become?"

The yellow-haired Trainer and Jolteon stepped forward, and the Trainer proudly gestured to his Pokémon. "A Thunder Stone will make it a Jolteon! When a Jolteon gets mad, the hairs on its body turn to needles that it fires at its opponent!"

When the eldest of the triplets stepped back, the next one took his spot. "A Water Stone will make it a Vaporeon! It can melt into water and make itself disappear!"

As with the first two, the last of the remaining triplets proudly walked in front of Mikey with his Flareon. "A Fire Stone will make it a Flareon! With a blazing flame attack from its internal fire sack, Flareon's the strongest evolutionary choice of all!" The redhead crossed his arms and nodded, but the eldest brother glared at him.

"What, are you crazy?! My Jolteon is the strongest of all!"

"Too bad you're the only one that thinks so!" he responded smugly. The blue-haired brother ignored their quarreling and knelt down in front of Mikey, who looked extremely uncomfortable as he held his Eevee in his arms.

"Mikey, I'm sure you'll make it the right choice and make it a Vaporeon," he said to his younger sibling.

"This family sure is competitive, Ash," Brock murmured with his arms crossed as he watched the scene. "That's a lot of pressure to put on the little guy." Ash agreed, and stepped forward to defend him.

"Hey, give the kid a break, will 'ya?" he said loudly, drawing the three brothers' attention over to him. "Isn't he a little young to battle?"

"We're throwing this party just for him and his Eevee."

"You should know that you have to start training early if you want to become a master," the Vaporeon Trainer pointed out.

"Yeah. You look like a traveling Trainer – you should know that you won't win any battles without the help of a fully-evolved Pokémon." The Pallet Town Trainer was taken aback by their stubbornness and energy, and it was the eldest brother that spoke up once again when Ash stuttered in response.

"Do you need a stone?" he asked, and led them to a table in the middle of all the other tables. This one was rectangular, and had two rows of stones resting in fancy boxes that were open for display. There were multiples of each elemental stone – the Fire Stones were orange and glittered like a flame, the Water Stones were blue and looked as though there were bubbles sealed inside them, and the golden stones that sparkled like electricity was the Thunder Stones.

"You really have collected a lot of them!" Brock complimented as he marveled at the huge collection of stones.

"That's what our town's known for!"

"But you can't mine them all the time."

"As thanks for bringing Eevee to us, you're welcome to stay at the party and let your Pokémon run around," the eldest triplet offered. "If you need anything, give me and my brothers a shout. My name's Sparky. My brothers are Rainer and Pyro. And you've met Mikey." While Ash and Brock didn't agree with the brothers' way of looking at Pokémon battles, they agreed to stay and enjoy themselves nevertheless, and Ash let out his Wartortle to join him at the buffet table while Brock let his Vulpix and Psyduck out of their Poké Balls – though it was more like he let out Vulpix to run around with the Ninetales that had just evolved, and Psyduck popped out on its own accord.

The pair had just started walking around when they found Rainer and the young lady with the Poliwrath walking and looking at a magazine, and Brock recognized it immediately. "Hey, that's a special edition of 'The Pokémon Friend'!"

"Yeah, we used it to plan today's special evolution party," the Water Trainer smiled back at Brock while his Vaporeon looked up at the pair. Its tail was curled around its body like a mermaid's, and both it and Brock's Vulpix locked eyes before turning away from each other.

"We wanted to bring together all the Trainers that specialize in stone-induced evolutions," Pyro piped up, joining in on the conversation with his Flareon close behind. "Why don't you join our club, Brock? Here, take this Fire Stone." The Fire-type Trainer tossed forward an orange stone that had been pulled from the table, and Brock caught it in his hands purely out of reflex, but he looked down at it with a frown.

"What have you got, Ash?" Rainer asked the Pallet Town Trainer.

"I... don't have any Pokémon that will evolve with a stone, I don't think..." Ash murmured quietly, just looking down at his Wartortle beside him.

"I can't just force Vulpix to evolve," Brock finally said. "Vulpix is really important to me."

"Don't be dumb!" all three brothers shouted all at once, and both of the newcomers flinched back at them.

"H-hey! Take it easy! You don't have to yell!" Ash stated nervously, but they ignored him and Sparky continued.

"Evolution is what Pokémon are all about!" The two chuckled awkwardly and slowly stepped away from the brothers, and made their way to the food. They hadn't had lunch yet, so all of this looked really appetizing to them. Plus it had been the first time since they left Professor Oak's cabin that they would have had food that didn't come from a can.

While they loaded up their plates, Brock's eyes kept drifting over to a lone bench near the water fountain. While the Poliwrath, Cloyster, and Starmie were all playing in the fountain with the Vileplume and Victreebel, Mikey was sitting all by himself, swinging his legs and sipping from a glass of orange juice through a straw while his Eevee sat in his lap. "What's the matter, Brock?" Ash asked when he noticed that Brock seemed to be a thousand miles away.

"I feel sorry for the kid," the Pokémon Breeder responded. "I think we should go talk to him."

"I'm sure as a big brother yourself, the way they treat him isn't sitting right with you," Ash deduced, and Brock hummed in agreement before him and Vulpix walked over towards Mikey. The boy looked up as Brock approached, apparently snapping him out of his thoughts, and Brock smiled and held out a plate full of sandwiches.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, and as Mikey's brown eyes lingered on the food, a yellow hand reached up and snatched one of the sandwiches right off it. Making a noise of excitement, Psyduck threw the whole sandwich half into its beak and munched loudly. "Psyduck! That's rude!" Psyduck simply looked up at its Trainer, and didn't seem to understand while it cocked its head and blinked at him, and Brock dismissed it with a chuckle. "Do you want some?" And for the first time since they met him, Mikey smiled and nodded.

Brock sat down on the opposite side of the bench while Ash sat off to the side of the fountain within listening range as Wartortle joined in the fun and games with the other water-dwelling Pokémon. When the former Gym Leader put down the plate of food between them, Mikey grabbed a sandwich slice while Eevee investigated and munched on a small hot dog. Vulpix jumped up next to Brock, and the two conversed happily. "Pretty good, huh?" Mikey nodded as he chewed his first bite, and smiled down at his Eevee. He seemed happy that the Pokémon was getting along with Vulpix. "It doesn't seem like you really want to make Eevee evolve, do you Mikey?"

"My brothers don't care about anything but battling Pokémon," he responded, his eyes lowering to the grass.

"There's more to Pokémon than just battling with them," Brock told him. "Did you know that I'm studying to become a Pokémon Breeder?" When Mikey looked up in confusion, the Pewter City native elaborated. "A Pokémon Breeder is someone who raises Pokémon and brings out their best qualities, but not necessarily for battling."

"Oh! I didn't know you could do that!"

"Sure you can. And I know a lot about battling. I used to be the Gym Leader of the Pewter City Gym." Mikey seemed amazed, but his face quickly saddened when Brock asked his next question. "Why was Eevee tied up in the woods, Mikey?"

"I was just trying to hide Eevee from my brothers, just for today..." He looked back and smiled shyly up at Brock. "Then nobody could force me to make it evolve at the party!"

"But Eevee looked really sad and lonely out there," Brock argued lightly.

"I was going to go get it later..." Eevee smiled up at its Trainer and nuzzled its head against Mikey's arm. "I don't care if Eevee evolves or not; I just want it to be my best friend."

"That's great!" Mikey seemed taken aback by this.

"Huh?! You think that's great?!"

"Sure! As a Pokémon Breeder, seeing a Trainer have a strong bond with their Pokémon is what I like seeing! There's only one problem, though."

"What's that?"

"You shouldn't have hidden Eevee," Brock responded. "That was just a way of running away from your problems."

"Running away?"

"If you don't want to evolve Eevee, then you should tell them how you feel. It's your responsibility as a Trainer."

"Gee, thanks, Brock. You're like a big brother to everyone, aren't you?"

"He is!" Ash piped up with a big smile. "Back at home, Brock has nine brothers and sisters he used to take care of."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Mikey responded, and then glanced down at Vulpix and Eevee having a conversation.

"You know Mikey, Wartortle and I had a similar experience that you're having now," Ash told him, sitting down on the grass and watching his starter Pokémon splash in the water. "Back when I was facing against the Vermilion Gym Leader, Surge, he thought that only evolved Pokémon were worth his time, and looked down at anyone that challenged him not using a fully-evolved Pokémon. Not only that, but Wartortle and I were at a disadvantage because we were facing against his Raichu. But with a lot of training, Wartortle and I managed to beat him and earn that Thunder Badge." Ash opened up his jacket, and Mikey marveled at the glittering badges that were pinned to the inside of the blue fabric.

Just then, Mikey's three older brothers came up to the bench with their Pokémon following close behind. "Mikey! Have you decided on Eevee's evolution yet?" Mikey stuttered in response, and all the confidence that Brock had instilled in him came crashing down with his brothers' eyesight.

"You can do it, Mike," Brock encouraged quietly, but the boy continued to stare at the freshly-cut grass.

"C'mon, Mikey! Tell us what you decided."

"Go ahead, Mikey. Tell him," Ash urged. Mikey gave one last look at his Eevee, and smiled at him and cocked its head.

"Ewie!" it mewled. This seemed to give him the confidence he needed, and smiled and stood up.

"A Jolteon, right?"

"A Flareon, right?"

"A Vaporeon!"

"Uh, you guys, I..." Mikey trailed off, and swallowed the lump in his throat before continuing. "You guys, I decided I don't want to... I don't want to evolve Eevee!" All three brothers were flabbergasted at Mikey's words, and the whole party seemed to go quiet.

"Y-you... you don't want to evolve Eevee?" Sparky repeated back in disbelief. He blinked in confusion while Mikey stared uncomfortably, but then his eyebrows clashed together and he glared at Ash and Brock. "This is your doing, isn't it?!"

"N-no! We-" Brock began, but the other two brothers cut him off.

"Mikey wasn't talking this way until you two showed up!"

"What is the point of this party if Mikey decides not to evolve his Eevee, huh?"

"You just don't get it, do 'ya?" Sparky frowned at the pair with his arms crossed.

"We get it, all right!" Ash shouted back, and then rubbed the back of his head when he realized he was starting to lose his cool. "We just don't evolve our Pokémon that way."

"You like your way of evolving, and we like ours," Brock added, crossing his own arms firmly as he stood to defend the youngest brother.

"That's the way to tell 'em, Brock," Ash encouraged his traveling companion. The brothers weren't convinced, and finally, Sparky spoke up.

"Okay then. If you don't see things our way now, we'll make you see things our way with a couple of Pokémon battles!" The prospect of a challenge brought a smirk to Ash's face.

"If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get!" the black-haired Trainer responded with determination.

"Ash, let me battle first," Brock interrupted, stepping forward. "Vulpix and I will show them how tough an unevolved Pokémon can be."

"Fine, Brock! If that's how you feel, Flareon and I will show you the strength of a fully evolved Fire Pokémon!" Pyro piped up. Everyone was now gathered around them in a circle, and both Brock and Pyro stood on either end of it with their Fire Pokémon standing beside them.

"All right, this battle will go on until the opposing Pokémon loses, or its Trainer gives up," Sparky said. Both Trainers agreed to the terms, and Pyro was the first to call his Pokémon forward.

"Flareon, attack!" he cried, and the Flame Pokémon leapt forward.

"Flare-flare-flare!" it called out.

"Okay Vulpix, go!"

"Vull!" Vulpix uttered as its Trainer ordered it forward, and it jumped in front of Brock with its head down and tails spread.

"We're not gonna let that puny Vulpix intimidate us! Flareon, Flamethrower!"

"Vulpix, counter with your Flamethrower!" Brock shot back. Both Pokémon opened their mouths and fired a stream of fire from the back of their throats out at each other. The crowd had to step backward from the intense heat coming from the two Fire attacks, but ultimately, both attacks canceled each other out. "Now Vulpix, use your Agility to confuse Flareon!"

"Vulllpix!" The elegant Fire-type Pokémon let out a cry and darted forward at Pyro's Flareon before disappearing. It reappeared in another spot close by, and Ash realized that it was just moving so fast that it was hard to even see it. It did this multiple times, appearing in different places throughout the makeshift battlefield. Flareon whipped its head back and forth to be able to try and keep up with its opponent, but it only ended up losing track and lowering its ears in shame.

"Don't let it get away! Flareon, Fire Spin!" Pyro commanded. Its Trainer's voice pulled it back into reality, and it took in a deep breath before expelling it as a spiraling flame.

"Flare-air-air!" it cried. The flames circled out and surrounded the battlefield like a ring and sending a wall of flames up between Brock and his Pokémon. Vulpix suddenly reappeared, a worried look appearing on its face as it looked around for its Trainer.

"Now Flareon, Quick Attack!" Pyro's voice made Vulpix's head whip back to its opponent just in time for the Fire-type Pokémon to dive and slam into it. The Fox Pokémon cried out and flew through the air, flying through the wall of flames and skidding in the grass some distance away from Brock. The former Gym Leader gasped quietly as he looked at his prized Pokémon charred and damaged from the attack.

"Vulpix!" Brock exclaimed, rushing over and kneeling down next to his Pokémon.

"Looks like I'm the winner for this round," Pyro declared with a smirk, and gave his Flareon a congratulatory pet on the head while Rainer's Vaporeon and the other Water-types put out the remaining flames of the battle before it spread into something worse.

"Okay, I'm next!" Ash announced, stepping forward with his Wartortle.

"Fine then. My Vaporeon should wipe the floor with your Wartortle," Rainer stated confidently. Vaporeon stood at the mention of its name, and the fins around its neck flared up slightly.

"Think you can handle it, Wartortle?" the Pokémon Trainer asked the Water-type, and his starter Pokémon nodded back with confidence.

"Tor!"

"I can't wait to wipe that confidence from you! Vaporeon, attack!" A simple point of his finger was all it took for Vaporeon to leap forward onto the grass in front of Rainer.

"Wartortle, Water Gun!" Ash ordered as he jabbed his finger through the air. Wartortle opened up its arms and cried out.

"Wartortle War!" it declared, and took in a deep breath, but before it could fire out the stream of water, a flash of yellow appeared in front of it.

"Psy!" Psyduck quacked with a big smile, and threw its head back with its beak wide open. When it did, a measly stream of water came arching out of its throat and trickled harmlessly to the ground feet away from Vaporeon. The whole crowd was silent, and some even looked away from the secondhand awkwardness, while Rainer's mouth hung open with a cocked eyebrow. Having already recalled his Vulpix, Brock stood up and held out Psyduck's Poké Ball, the hint of a blush coloring his tan cheeks. Psyduck patted its webbed feet back and forth excitedly, and turned back to Brock before flashing him the victory sign. "Psy-yaiy-yaiy-yaiy!"

"How embarrassing..." Brock murmured as the red recall beam shot out and pulled Psyduck into its ball. "Wartortle, this one's all you..."

With Psyduck recalled back into its Poké Ball and no longer a threat of interrupting again, Wartortle continued its attack, calling out once again and drawing in a deep breath before firing a Water Gun straight at the Bubble Jet Pokémon. Before the attack could connect, Vaporeon gracefully jumped out of the way, and without even being ordered to, dove straight into the water fountain. "Vaporeon, use your Acid Armor and fight back!" Rainer ordered.

Wartortle followed Vaporeon to the fountain, but before it could jump in the water, it watched as Vaporeon's body shimmered for a moment before it seemed to melt away into the water. Both Pokémon and Trainer gasped in surprise, and Wartortle's ears rocked back and forth as it frantically searched for the other Water-type invisible in the pool. Out of desperation, it fired a pair of Water Gun attacks into the water, shooting blind in an attempt to hit it. "Vaporeon, attack!" Suddenly, Vaporeon jumped from the surface of the fountain with a splash and collided into Wartortle with a Tackle attack. Wartortle cried out as it was thrown backwards and fell back onto its shell, but it wasn't down yet, and quickly pulled itself back up. "It's strong!"

"We're not done yet!" Ash smirked. "Wartortle, Skull Bash, now!" Now that it was steady on its feet, Wartortle charged forward with its head down and delivered a powerful headbutt to Rainer's Pokémon. The Vaporeon let out a cry as it was hit, and both Pokémon fell into the fountain with a splash before they surfaced. Both Trainers rushed to the fountain – it was now a water battle. "Hit it with a Water Gun!"

"That's not happening! Vaporeon, use your Acid Armor again!" Rainer instructed. Right before the Water Gun could hit it, the Bubble Jet Pokemon's body shimmered once again before it blended into the water. This time, Wartortle kept its cool, and jumped up onto the edge of the fountain to get a better view of the tank.

"Wartortle, BubbleBeam!" Ash commanded. As before, Wartortle took in a deep breath, but fired a stream of bubbles out from its mouth at the pool instead of straight water. It was firing blind again, and seeing this made Rainer smirk.

"Vaporeon, Tackle attack!" he shouted. Vaporeon surfaced and leapt out of the water straight at Wartortle, but Ash and Wartortle smirked, and the Turtle Pokémon sidestepped out of the way as if it knew where Vaporeon was going to come out of. Rainer gasped, and Vaporeon's eyes widened as Wartortle lowered its head.

"Skull Bash, now!" the Pallet Town Trainer declared, and Wartortle slammed its skull straight into Vaporeon's side, knocking it out of the fountain and at its Trainer's feet where it skid across the grass in defeat.

"Vaporeon!" Rainer cried, kneeling down and rubbing the Pokémon's shimmering sapphire scales. "Oh, Vaporeon..."

"And that means a victory for us!" Ash cheered, and both him and Wartortle raised their fists in victory.

"Well, I have to say that I'm impressed you managed to beat one of us," Sparky stated, but still, his confident smirk lingered on his face while his hands rested on his hips. "But we're in a tie. And I know for a fact your Wartortle won't stand a chance against my Jolteon."

"That's what you think!" Ash countered with his eyebrows coming together. Jolteon stepped forward, but then, suddenly, Mikey and Eevee stepped beside Ash and looked at him pleadingly, but with a fire burning in his eyes.

"You guys are fighting because of me," the younger boy said. "Brock is right: it's my responsibility as a Trainer to show my brothers that Eevee is my best friend and I don't need to evolve it to win battles."

"Mikey..." Brock murmured, but a smile slowly spread across his face.

"What do you mean, Mike?" Sparky questioned, one of his eyebrows raising in curiosity.

"It means we're going to battle, Sparky!" the youngest Eevee brother challenged. Sparky seemed to be shocked at the revelation, but then a smirk grew on his face.

"Fine. But if we win, then you have to evolve your Eevee into a Jolteon!"

Mikey seemed nervous about his words, but shook his head and his eyebrows clashed together beneath his bangs. "All right, Eevee! Get ready! It's time for our first real battle!"

"Evee!" the small brown Pokémon cried. It seemed to sense its Trainer's newfound confidence, and for the first time since they saw it, Eevee gave Jolteon a hardened look.

"Go get 'em!" Ash encouraged as everyone stepped off to give them all room.

Mikey seemed to swallow the lump in his throat, and took in a deep breath before shouting his next order. "Eevee, Take Down attack!"

"Ewie!" Grass kicked up from Eevee's back legs as it shot at Jolteon.

"Jolteon, attack!" Sparky called, and with a bark, Jolteon bolted forward as well. Both quadruped Pokémon jumped in the air and collided into each other before landing on the ground and whipping around to strike again. They collided in midair before returning to their original positions, and Eevee let out a huff before it used Take Down once again. Jolteon countered with its own Take Down, and they bounced off each other. Their Trainers let them take a moment to breathe before Sparky called out the next move.

"Jolteon, Pin Missile – fire!" As fast as the orders had come out, Jolteon's spiky fur instantly sharpened, and it seized its body before yellow needles shot out from its fur at Eevee.

"Eevee, Mimic!" Mikey countered, closing his eyes in fright. Just as Jolteon had done, Eevee hunched its back up, and yellow pins shot out from its own fur. The pins collided in the air, skillfully blocking out one another like a mirror.

"Eevee knows an attack like that?!" Pyro exclaimed on the sidelines.

"Our Eevees never learned Mimic like that!" Rainer added as the attacks stopped.

Sparky seemed equally as shocked as his brothers, but unlike them he didn't verbalize it, and instead called an attack. "Jolteon, use your Pin Missile again!"

"Jolt!" Jolteon barked, and once again the fur on its body turned into needles before firing at Eevee rapidly.

"Eevee, Rage!" Mikey shouted. An angry look crossed Eevee's face and it shot at Jolteon despite the fact that it was firing an attack. The Normal-type flinched as the needles hit its body, but it kept running along as they rained down upon it. Its face seemed to be growing angrier and angrier as the needles hit it, however. "Tackle attack!" Suddenly, Eevee dramatically picked up speed, and it bolted at Jolteon at such a fast pace that Jolteon stopped its own attack and gasped. At the last moment, Eevee jumped and collided into Jolteon with such force that the Lightning Pokémon flew backwards and rolled on the ground.

"Jolt-eon!" the Electric-type squealed as it hit the ground. Despite all the effort, however, when Eevee landed, Jolteon slowly picked itself up, though the attack had done quite a bit of damage. Mikey seemed shocked, and his mouth opened and closed as he tried to find the next strategy to go with, but then Sparky spoke up first.

"Jolteon!" he declared, but then held out his arm. "That's enough." All eyes drew to Sparky as Jolteon cocked its head, but lowered its guard and trotted over beside its Trainer. "I give up, Mikey. You win." A silence fell over the crowd. Finally, Eevee was the first to speak up, and it threw its head back and mewed in victory. This seemed to make reality hit Mikey as well, and he smiled and bounced into the air in happiness.

"We did it!" he exclaimed, and Eevee turned tail and jumped into its Trainer's arms, who hugged it back tightly. "Wow, you're the greatest, Eevee!" He then burst out laughing as Eevee licked his face.

"You did it, Mikey!" Ash congratulated. "You won your first battle!"

"Beautiful!" Brock added with a smile of his own. "But, why did he give up?"

"Because it was clear to me that even though it was Mikey's first battle, him and Eevee already share a bond that I never had with my Jolteon when it was an Eevee," Sparky replied. "It was incredible."

"And you were able to keep up with Jolteon despite your Eevee not being evolved. I was wrong," Rainer piped up.

"You always said you didn't want to battle, but you did great!" Pyro complimented with a hand on his hip. All three brothers wore proud smiles on their faces.

"I just wanted to show you guys that I can become an Eevee Trainer!" They all smiled and nodded in agreement, and then Pyro chuckled.

"Now we really are the four Eevee brothers!" he chuckled, and Mikey's face lightened instantly.

"My brothers are the best..." Eevee cooed happily in response, and Sparky turned back at the crowd behind him.

"Hey guys, let's turn this into a celebration of Eevee's first victory!" Everyone wholeheartedly agreed, and the three brothers all gathered and handed everyone a glass of punch to celebrate – even the Pokémon. Ash, Brock, and Mikey all clinked their glasses together, and Wartortle and Eevee copied them.

"Congratulations!" Ash and Brock said at the same time.

"You did it, Mikey!" the black-haired Trainer added.

"Yeah!" the younger boy nodded, and turned to Brock. "Uh, Brock?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you so much for helping me. It was because of you that I gained the courage to do what I did."

"All in a day's work of being a big brother," the Pokémon Breeder joked. "I know you'll become a great Eevee Trainer." Mikey smiled, and his brothers called him over. Approaching the triplets with his glass in hand, they all threw their drinks onto the lawn and swarmed him before tossing him into the air.

"Mikey! Mikey! Mikey!" they chanted in time with each throw, and the boy laughed loudly, his giggles drawing smiles to the watchful eyes of the party guests, but none were happier than Ash and Brock.

As the party drew to a close, Rainer arranged for all the guests to gather by the front entrance with their Pokémon to take a group picture. Everyone gathered in front of it, and Brock's Psyduck, who was eager to play with the camera, pressed the button it was instructed to and gave a wave. As it hurried forward to join its Trainer, it tripped and fell forward just as the shutter clicked. No one had seen the picture yet, but the bright laughter that erupted from the crowd ensured that the picture would be a perfect one.

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Wartortle (Poké Ball)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Water Gun, BubbleBeam

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed

Charmander (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Ember

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Mankey (Poké Ball)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves:

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Krabby (Poké Ball)

Moves: ViceGrip

Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Geodude (Poké Ball)

Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle

Zubat (Poké Ball)

Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic

Psyduck (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion

Vulpix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility